True North Country Comics presents Julien Dallaire-Charest’s top 10 go-to comic book and graphic novel list.
Julien devotes himself full time to illustration, comics and rock’n’roll. Among other things, he does comic book interviews for the record store Knock-Out and covers of children’s novels The Abomination of Crystal Lake. Active in collectives and self-publishing (Copinet Copinot, Serge, Pogneurs de spectres), he is currently working on a solo comic book album while being involved in the cultural scene of Quebec City. Julien is also the 2019 Jacques-Hurtubise Prize winner at the Quebec BD Festival.
Here is Julien’s top 10 list of go-to comic book and graphic novels
Rahan (the complete saga) by Roger Lecureux, André Chéret and others
“I read them all when I was young, I love the stories about the small clans and how it was the first step of civilization. Rahan is a bit too much good and loyal, but the adventures he gest into are always fascinating. I prefer when they play with other human tribes or some other humanoids (gigantopithecus!), but the weird inclusion of dinosaurs gives us spectacular scenes so I let it pass. Revisiting Rahan later in my life, I think I was even more impressed by the graphic quality of it. I read somewhere that it is was one of the first time French authors did comics in an American comic book style, and it is a very special blend of both influences that we can see in Rahan.”
Big Foot by Nicolas Dumonteuil (3 books)
“During the Quebec’s comics Festival there was an interview with a colorist, Isabelle Merlet, and she talked about her work as a colorist in the comics industry, etc. She showed some examples of collaborations she did, and Big Foot really struck me. I went to the library the week after and felt in love with these 3 books. I’m a big fan of western and cryptid, so it was like all the things I like combined with cool art and superb colours.”
The 6 voyages of Lone Sloane by Philippe Druillet
“Another read I did really young, I keep coming back to it just to see how Druillet can deconstruct a comic panel. It’s wild, saturated with details and colors, the sorties almost didn’t make sense, and I think that is what compels me with this comic, the freedom of the author seems untamed, raw. There’s teenage-like energy to it, I feel like it is something you would do when you are 16 and you just don’t care what people will think of it.”
Prophet: Earth War Saga by by Brandon Graham, Simon Roy, Grim Wilkins and Giannis Milonogiannis
“One of my friends pass it to me a couple of years ago, I discovered the work of a lot of artists that I now follow. There’s something similar to Druillet’s work with its approach to weird sci-fi, and it’s beautiful. The multiple artists aspect of the project gives it a very interesting touch too, you are somewhere between a collective and an action comic book saga.”
Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O’Malley
“Classic, fun to read, well done. I like the settings, the characters, how it doesn’t take itself seriously. It is also a good lesson of how you don’t have to draw the craziest things and put a ton of details in your panels to make it interesting.”
Thorgal
“Thorgal is a mythical piece by itself, but this particular book is the one that I liked the most because it is a horror story / family drama in a big fantasy setting. It’s all calm and subtle and it grows under your skin.”
“all the work” of Daniel Warren Johnson
“The guy can draw motion and action like no other and gives it a sensible touch also. I loved Extremity, I am now in his take on Wonder Woman: Dead Earth.”
Chronique du Centre-Sud by Richard Suicide and William Parano
“A really fun read, you discover a whole new world. Suicide’s cram pack pages and weird onomatopoeia just embellish these sorties about ugly truths and broken characters. It is a love letter to the less fortunate.”
The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers by Gilbert Shelton
“I read an anthology of these while I was in France ironically, it’s all about the counter culture of the seventies; the hippie, smoking weed, protesting against the authority, and all those themes are treated very lightly and in a funny way.”
Hillerod by Frederic Vivianne Auln
“Frederic Vivianne is one of my friends, but with this book, he created something very beautiful and I think it needs more recognition. This weird love story during a trip is something very relevant and common in a lot of people’s life I think, and the way it is revealed to you, as the reader, you are compelled and a bit lost as the main character is.”
You can discover more about Julien on Instagram at instagram.com/pizzajulien/ and online at http://juliendc.com/
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